What Google Knows About You

With the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on everyone’s mind, it’s a good time to take stock of what Google knows about us. Fair warning: Google knows a lot, maybe even a little too much.

The GDPR Revolution

GDPR: four little letters everyone is talking about. 2018 is the year of the GDPR. The General Data Protection Regulation has applied since May 25, 2018, across the 28 EU member states. Its goal? To protect people’s personal data.

It’s not just a European story. The GDPR can also apply to U.S. companies that offer goods or services to people in the EU, which is why so many American websites have been updating their privacy policies and cookie banners. It was a busy year for EU tech rules: the Article 13 copyright debate was shaking up YouTube at the same time.

Either way, anyone who’s online is exposed. Google, which is nearly everywhere thanks to its dozens of products, can practically read us like an open book.

What Data Does Google Collect?

By Google’s own account, the search giant collects three types of data about us:

• Things we do: Google can figure out our taste in music from what we listen to on YouTube, for example. Through our searches, Google can also learn where we like to eat, what we like to watch, where we usually go, and more.
• Things we create: Do you use Google Photos? Gmail? Google Docs? A lot of information can be collected from those tools, too.
• Things that make us “us”: nothing less!

And the more we use Google products, the bigger that database gets. It’s even larger if we use Android: apps used, photos, videos, location, and much more.

Google Takeout

Curious about what data Google has collected about you? You can find out. A tool called Google Takeout lets you download a complete archive of the data associated with your account.

That said, this isn’t meant to demonize Google. It’s far from the only company that knows this much about us. Google has also stated that it complies with the GDPR’s requirements, as every company covered by it must.

Where Things Stand in 2026

In Europe, regulation has kept reshaping the tech giants’ plans: Meta threatened to leave Europe in 2022 over data transfers, and the Digital Markets Act later changed how Google displays reviews in Europe. Privacy rules have also spread to the United States, at the state level. California’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) took effect on January 1, 2020, and its amendments under the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) took effect on January 1, 2023. Google Takeout is still available for anyone who wants to download their Google data.

Want your analytics, forms, and tracking set up with privacy in mind? Référenceur is a French-speaking digital marketing agency from Belgium and Luxembourg that works with U.S. businesses remotely on web analytics. This isn’t legal advice, so check your obligations with your attorney. Then get a free assessment.